Accident
by Mairu
Summary: It seemed ironic to Inuyasha. She had survived Naraku, who was bent on their destruction, only to be killed by some piece of speeding metal and plastic.
1. Chapter 1

Yay! First post! Actually, I shouldn't be too excited, I wrote this... umm... two or three years ago... Inspired by something that happened to me personally, sorta-kinda... Anyway, read and review!

--

"Wow, Inuyasha, I can't believe that you're letting Kagome go home so easily!" A young voice cried out. Shippo was sitting on Inuyasha's shoulder when the young miko had timidly asked Inuyasha is it would be alright for her to go home for a day to give her family some wonderful news.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to bop him on the head. "Stow it, runt. We just defeated Naraku, and she wants to tell her family." Yes, Naraku had been defeated, with sufficiently less casualties then they had estimated. Sango had a broken leg, Miroku was a bit sore, and Inuyasha... well, at least he _felt_ better than he looked. And he was in high enough spirits that he had even agreed to the party Kagome and Sango decided on having to celebrate.

Kagome came into view, her yellow backpack in place, only weighing her down slightly. "Alright guys, I'll be back later tonight!" Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak, but Kagome cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry, I won't forget your precious ramen." She rolled her eyes and held back a laugh as the hanyou she had come to know and love was overcome by the hugeness of his grin.

"Be sure to hurry back Kagome-chan," Sango said, happily hugging Kohaku,who had been restored with all memories in tact, thanks to the Shikon Jewel. Miroku stood behind her, hovering cautiously, so that she wouldn't fall over (she had insisted that she didn't need a crutch). "We can't start the party without you."

Miroku gave a solemn nod. "We shall eagerly await your return." It was a nice thing to say. The only problem was as he spoke those words, his hand helped itself to Sango's rear.

"HENTAI!" Sango screamed out, using her good leg to feebly kick him in the shin, while leaning on Kohaku. Miroku after wincing in pain, retained a small, smug grin on his face, which gave those around him the impression that he had just traveled to heaven and back.

Kagome laughed as she walked off, with distant sounds out Miroku getting smacked and Inuyasha laughing a the monk's "misfortune" following her all the way to the well.

--

Kagome's mother was at the sink when Kagome walked through the door. "Mama!" She called. "I'm home!"

Kagome's mother ran up to her. "Well, you're back sooner than expected. Not that I'm complaining, of course," she said with a grin, embracing her daughter.

Kagome hugged her back. "Yep," she said, pulling away from the embrace, showing her mother a face full of happy tears. "But Mama, you'll never guess! Naraku's been defeated!"

Her mother's eyes were alight with happiness at the prospect of being able to see her daughter more, now that she wouldn't be traveling the countryside of medieval Japan. "That's great," she said, pulling her daughter close again. "I'm assuming you're here to get supplies so you can celebrate?"

Kagome smiled. "Mama," she said. "It' kinda creepy sometimes, but I'm really glad you're psychic."

Kagome's mother shared in her daughter's laughter, and after supplying her with enough money, sent her on her way.

--

(1 Hour Later)

Higurashi Residence

Souta sat in front of the television playing his video games. He hoped that since Inu-no-nii-chan had defeated that Naraku guy, that maybe he'd come over more often, and play games with him. If that happened, Souta had to be prepared. The doorbell rang, and at first he didn't move. After it a few more seconds, no one had made any move to answer it. Souta sighed, paused his game, and walked towards the door. He stared up at a police officer and his partner, both looking somber. Maybe Inuyasha had shown up to meet his sister and destroyed the supermarket. Souta mentally groaned. He remembered the damage that had been caused the last time Inu-no-nii-chan had released his sword. "Yes?" he asked.

The officer squatted down to his level. "Hey," he said, his voice seeming slightly sad. "Are your parents home?"

"Yeah," Souta said, now bored, his mind already back on his game. "Hang on for a second. Mom! The cops are here!" That should get his mother going. Sure enough, there she was, racing down the stairs. Souta shrugged, and went back to the living room.

"Yes?" Mrs Higurashi asked, breathless.

"Okaa-san," the first officer's partner said gently. "I'm afraid we have some bad news concerning your daughter, Kagome..."

--

(Feudal Era)

Inuyasha sat impatiently in the Goshinboku. "Kagome, where are you...?" he thought aloud. She had said that she'd be back by twilight, right? Inuyasha gazed at the darkness overtaking Musashi, and sighed. _Yep..._ he thought. _Late again..._

All of a sudden, Shippo decided to pop out of nowhere, effectively scaring the shit out of poor Inuyasha, and causing him to fall comically from his perch. In fairness to Shippo, however; he had been calling Inuyasha from the bottom of the Goshinboku for the past several minutes, but the hanyou had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed.

"What the hell, you little brat?!" Inuyasha meant to sound threatening, but somehow he couldn't manage it. Probably because he was worried about Kagome. Or maybe it was the fact that at least five of his wounds had just reopened.

Shippo's eyes were huge, just a step away from hyperventilation. "Inuyasha," he cried pathetically. "It's really late, and everyone's really worried about Kagome! Shouldn't she be back by now?"

Inuyasha thought about smacking him, but the kitsune had a point. Kagome should have been back ages ago. "Yeah," he conceded. "Stupid wench. I'll go get her," and he sped off towards the well, leaving Shippo slightly confused.

--

(Present)

Inuyasha looked around the empty shrine. _No one's here,_ he thought to himself. When he went up to the house, the scent of tears and panic hit his sensitive nose almost instantly. He immediately followed the scent, and in a matter of seconds, found himself in a hospital emergency room, bearing witness to one of the most horrid sights he would ever have to see.

"Ka... Kagome...?"

He wasn't even sure the girl laying in the bed, hooked up to countless monitors, seemingly unable to breathe on her own, _was_ Kagome. He looked to the rest of the Higurashi family. "What... what happened...?"

Souta was the first to respond to his presence. He ran to Inuyasha, gripping his leg tightly and sobbing. "Nee-chan... Nee-chan was... going to the store," he choked out in between sobs. "S-she was c-crossing the street, and... and a car... It was going t-too fast to sto-op..." he broke down, unable to go any further with the story.

Inuyasha stared in shock at Kagome, who was laying on the hospital bed, tubes poking out the exposed patches of skin on her arms. The box which had a green, spiking line was beeping weakly. At first, he was sure that she was unconscious, but her soft voice somehow managed to reach his ears. "I... Inu...yasha...?"

He rushed over to her side, and took her hand, minding the long clear tube attached to the back of it. "Kagome?" he breathed. "What the hell... What the hell happened to you?"

Kagome smiled meekly. "I'm... sorry, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. "For what?" He asked roughly, shoving away from her. "You've got nothin' to be apologizin' about!"

She let a tear slide down her cheek. "No... I wasn't strong enough..."

Inuyasha pulled her close, not even caring that there were doctors and the rest of her family present. He would not let her give up. "Shut up!" He said. "Just shut up! Stupid wench... always blaming yourself and apologizing. I'm the one who should be apologizing for the way I've treated you. I... I should have been there Kagome..." He allowed the tears to escape his eyes at this point.

Kagome got over the shock of him hugging her so suddenly and relaxed in his strong arms, lightly resting her own around his neck. "It wasn't your fault," she said softly. "I-Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, what?" he asked, too afraid to look into her eyes.

"I love you..."

His head snapped to face her, just in time to see her smiling brightly for him. "Ka... Kagome..?"

The green line on the box leveled out, and a steady, low beep sounded throughout the room.

--

The funeral was a large one, as it almost always is when a child dies. It seemed ironic to Inuyasha. She had survived Naraku, who was bent on their destruction, only to be killed by some piece of speeding metal and plastic.

Kaede had somehow managed to find a way to allow Kagome's friends from the Feudal Era to accompany Inuyasha to the funeral. They stood away from her school friends and teachers. Her mother and grandfather stood up at the front, where friends, family, acquaintances, complete strangers, offered their condolences. Souta opted to stand with Inuyasha and the others, unable to be near his sister's coffin and burial site.

He and Shippo sat together, sobbing silently. Sango cried, as Miroku, who was also crying, supported her so that she could remain standing. Koga, who was there with Ginta, Hakkaku, and Ayame, sat off to the side, refusing to speak to anyone. Rin, who had insisted on coming, gripped Sesshoumaru's pant leg and cried into it. And for once, unconcerned with appearances, he held an arm around her small, shaking frame. Even Jaken was standing in quiet contemplation, caught up in his thoughts of the young teenaged girl who had, during the fight with Naraku, risked her life to save his and Rin's.

Inuyasha alone sat closest the grave, peering at the coffin's surface, deep in thought. Rin's sobbed comment about wishing that the Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga hadn't been destroyed, did not escape his ears.

Finally, the mourners began to leave, until it was only Kagome's family and those from the past that were left. Sesshoumaru was the first to move away with Rin, who was beginning to lose it. Koga's group, along with Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Souta, and Kagome's grandfather, followed almost immediately. Soon, it was only Inuyasha and Kagome's mother who remained.

She walked silently up to him. "She loved you... So much," she whispered.

Inuyasha spoke as the tears once again began to flow. "Yeah," he choked. "I know."

Mrs Higurashi hugged him close. "You are always welcome here," she said softly. "You've done so much for her... my son..." She held for another moment, then followed the rest back to the house. Inuyasha turned silently towards Kagome's grave, and lay down her bow and arrows. His next words were whispered so softly, that the wind almost carried them away before he could hear them himself.

"I love you too, Kagome..."


	2. Epilogue

The Sun had just begun to set, spreading the most gorgeous of shades of pinks, reds, oranges, and blues throughout the skyline. Beneath it, the city of Tokyo continued on with its usual, end-of-the-day bustling. Shops closed up, their bells jingling softly as the front doors locked and the lights went off. Kids made their way back from school, walking in groups and laughing, just like any other day. Adults returned home from work, some to their families, others to an empty apartment, thinking wistfully of that person they've been dying to talk to. The buses stopped along their routes, picking up and dropping off. Impatient drivers wove through traffic, cursing that they'd never make it home at this rate. A few of the less fortunate huddled under discarded newspapers on a park bench, thinking that if they could only find a way to get the money in the next few minutes, they could make it to their dealer for one more hit and sleep peacefully for tonight at least.

A middle-aged woman hurried around her home, putting the finishing touches on a modest dinner before reaching for the cabinets to set the table. Outside, her son met his grandfather halfway up the stairs and held out his hand for the old man's broom and handed him a walking stick instead, so that the short walk would be easier on his old bones. When the two generations reached the home, the woman smiled at them and beckoned them to the table. The family was small and no stranger to loss. Even so, there were four place settings and the woman looked out the window and wondered where the last member of her family was.

The area just outside the city was quiet. Birds flew back to their nests, preparing for the night. A silver-haired youth hopped down from his perch in of the trees and landed silently on the ground. He carefully picked his way through the countless names inscribed on glossy-finished rocks until he reached one at the top of the hill. He stood quietly for what seemed like hours before looking down at his attire. Plain dark jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt. He laughed humourlessly to himself when he realized that he didn't even have flowers. Every other time he had come, he had always brought something. But maybe that was the point.

He kneeled down and contemplated the name on the stone. A name he had somehow come to share with the ashes of the girl lying beneath it, though not in the way he had originally intended. His fingers traced over the name and his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember exactly when and how he began to possess this name. He supposed that it had happened over time. The girl had brought him into her family without him ever realising it. And then, when she was gone, her family continued what she had started. It worked out, in an odd sort of way. He had lost his mother when he was young and this woman had felt for him. When she lost her own daughter, he had felt for her. He had stopped by whenever he could and eventually began staying in an attempt to fill a hole inside of him that craved to be needed by someone you care deeply for.

At first it had been difficult. Everything reminded him of her. It had seemed so unfair that the world kept moving, even in her absence. Didn't the world know of the beautiful, irreplaceable person that they had lost? But as time passed, he felt himself healing. Yes, he still thought of her every day. And every day, he got a little sad. But he also felt this strength well up inside him every time he looked at his new family. He learned more about their world and his ever-growing part in it. There were ways of expressing himself that he had never dreamed of; ways to help that he would have never imagined, had he never let himself let go of his grief.

He stood, and thought suddenly of the home that was waiting for him. His stomach gave a low murmuring as he realised that he would probably be late for dinner. He felt a smile come to his face when he thought that after dinner was finished, he would probably play with her brother on some new 'game system' that he had received for his birthday. Super Crush Brothers, or something of the sort.

He looked at the grave marker and tried to think of something to say. He knew that her bleeding heart would have been in turmoil, had she still been alive to see his suffering. That he loved her didn't need to be said; there was no way that she couldn't know. He knew what she would have wanted to hear as he turned to leave. He leaned his head back, hair catching the last rays of the Sun which was slowly sinking below the horizon. _'Kagome...'_ He smiled, a clear image of her in his mind.

"I'm okay."

**Author's Note:**

So it's been about three years since I put out this [previously a] oneshot. I sort of stumbled upon my old account here after some inspiration for another fandom, and rediscovered this. As I mentioned at the start of chapter one, this little number was highly inspired by my own grief after the loss of one of my good friends and I felt that since I was eventually able to let go and build my life up and become stronger, I could afford poor Inuyasha here the same courtesy. :) I apologise if it seems to be a little too personal or out of character, but it's really just a nice little outlet for me. I'd also like to thank everyone who had reviewed the first chapter and to be so bold as to pre-emptively thank anyone who reviews in the future. They are very much appreciated. :) As for the rest of the group back in the Feudal Era... I would like to imagine that he goes back and visits often and then gets into a fight with Sesshoumaru for kicks. XD

So thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed reading!

Lindsay


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